A SPOT OF TROUBLE

Based upon "Henry Spots Trouble" by Davey Moore and "Henry Goes to the Hospital" by Christopher Awdry

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Henry the green engine is always happy when passengers or railfans come to say "hello" to him. However, one afternoon, as he pulled into Killdane station with the Main Line Local, all Henry could see was Bruce the station cat.

"Hello there, Bruce," he greeted. The black cat responded with a meow, and glanced down the track leading up the branch line.

"Ah, probably waiting for Selina and Kyle," Henry said to himself.

"He always does," chuckled another voice. Henry looked over to see one of his regular passengers, Nancy Rushen, standing on the platform. For a while now, she'd been a nurse. "How are you, Henry?"

"Quite good, Nancy," he replied. "How's work been at the hospital?"

"Oh, very busy," she admitted. "I get less time to spend with you and the Skarloey engines these days. If you see them at Crovan's Gate, tell them I said hi."

"I'll make sure of that," promised Henry. "And can you say hello to Meghan for us as well?"

"You count on that, Henry," Nancy replied.

When Nancy had been given some time off of work, she and her wife, Meghan, had brought their adopted daughter down to Crovan's Gate.

"Hi, Skarloey!" she called from the platform. "Hi, Henry!"

"Aww, hello, Amy," smiled Skarloey. "Great to see you today… oh!"

"What?" asked Amy. "A-are you okay, Skarloey?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Amy," said Skarloey, "but we're more worried for you."

"Oh… I've got chicken pox," Amy said quietly. "Mom and mother say that you can only get it once." She then looked over at both engines. "Oh… d-did you, Henry or the coaches have it?"

"Er… no," Skarloey said casually. "I'd definitely remember something like that."

"Mom, mother, we'd better go now!" cried Amy. "Before Skarloey, Henry and their coaches get sick!"

Meghan laughed. "That's impossible, Amy," she said. "Engines and rolling stock don't get sick the same way people do."

"Meghan's right," said Nancy. "Engines get sick if they're suffering from boiler ache or have old parts that need replacing. Plus, diseases that may affect us don't spread to engines or rolling stock."

"Oh…" said Amy, now feeling rather sheepish. "I didn't know that."

"Well, now you know, Amy," Henry smiled sympathetically. "We hope you get better soon."

"So do I," said Amy. "Mom says that it'll take up to a week or two for chicken pox to go away. But… does it actually come from chickens?" she asked curiously.

"No!" laughed Nancy. "Rest your mind assured, Amy, that chickens don't get sick from this disease either."

"Well… just to be sure," said Amy, "could I check the engines over with the stethoscope?"

Skarloey chuckled. "Well, we can't have us breaking down midway, can we?"

Nancy put the stethoscope on Amy, and the little girl checked both Skarloey and Henry's boilers.

"Whoa!" she cried. "There's a lot of bubbles popping in there."

"That's how steam works," said Henry. "It means we're running very well."

"If that's the case, you two are fit as fiddles," giggled Amy. Henry and Skarloey both departed, they and their respective coaches chuckling in amusement.

A few days later, Henry was at Knapford station, waiting for the passengers to board his train. However, the green engine couldn't help but notice something off…

"That's odd," he said. "Where's Nancy today?" He glanced over at another platform. "Gordon, have you seen her?"

"Afraid not, Henry," the big blue engine replied. "She's not catching the express today. Stanley, what about you?"

"No," shrugged the silver tank engine. "Not since yesterday." He glanced up at the clock. "And I think you'll have to go without her, Henry. It's almost departure time."

"Oh dear," Henry sighed. "If I don't show up with her, I'll never hear the end of it from Skarloey." But he realized he had no choice in the matter as the guard's whistle blew.

"I sure hope she's okay," said Henry.

"Never mind, Henry," assured Sean. "Maybe Nancy's having a day off."

"Perhaps," the green engine sighed. At the sound of a clash, Henry glanced upwards at the sky. "Just what we needed – a storm!"

"Let's hope there's not too much damage this time," said Mick.

"Or no one gets hurt," said Harry. "We'd better get to the next station, and fast!"

"But not too fast," cautioned Randolph. "Otherwise, we could get into an accident ourselves."

Henry went as carefully and quickly as he could, his crew often checking him to make sure he didn't slip on the wet rails.

Henry thankfully managed to stop at Crosby, and passengers getting off took shelter either underneath the canopy or in the station building.

"Do you think it's a big one?" asked Sean; a loud thunderclap rumbled in the air.

"I hope we don't need to take cover in a shed," said Harry.

"There may be a flood on the line if this keeps up," groaned Henry. "Just great; first Nancy doesn't catch the train, and now we probably need damage control. Could this get any worse?"

Just then, the stationmaster raced out of the building in alarm, and went to speak with Henry's crew.

"A little girl named Alice fell off her bike and hurt her leg!" he explained.

"Alice?!" cried Henry. "That's Paul and Annabelle's daughter!"

"We'll need an ambulance, or Harold, right away!" said Randolph.

"There's no way Harold can fly there in this weather," said Sean.

"And as for the ambulance, I called one," said the stationmaster, "but it's stuck in the mud. Butch will need to tow it out."

"That may take too long," said Henry's driver. "Hmm… I know! Henry could take Alice to the hospital. He stops at the station on the way there."

"I'd be honored to help her out," smiled Henry. "Annabelle and her family have done so much for us over the years."

Speaking of helping, Amy was holding Alice close to her as they hobbled along to the station; by that point, Amy had recovered from having chicken pox.

"Why didn't I see that stupid pothole in the road?" groaned Alice. "This blasted weather impaired my vision!"

"And the roads too," Amy sighed. "No doubt Bertie and his friends will have a tough time today."

"I hope the engines don't have damaged rails," said Alice.

"Well, look on the bright side," smirked Amy. "At least no vandals will face your wrath this time." Alice laughed alongside her friend despite the pain that she was in.

It didn't take much longer before the girls reached the station.

"Don't worry, Alice," said Henry. "You'll get better very soon at the hospital."

"Thanks, Henry," Alice smiled. She and Amy were then led to an empty compartment inside Mick, and Alice could rest her injured leg on the seat opposite her.

"I just wish Nancy could see me be an ambulance too," said Henry.

"That I can, Henry."

Henry blinked in surprise. There, on the platform, were four adults, one of whom was none other than…

"Nancy!" he gasped. "Meghan, Annabelle and Paul! Am I glad to see the four of you."

"As soon as we heard what had happened with Alice, we knew we had to come," said Annabelle. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Better now that I'm resting my leg," Alice admitted. "I wouldn't have made it to the station without Amy's help."

"Well done, sweetie." Meghan hugged Amy tightly.

"Our little junior nurse," grinned Nancy. "Now, Alice, I'll need to give you a quick check up onsite to see if you're well enough to travel to the hospital."

And so, Nancy made sure Alice's leg was secured, and checked her breathing with the stethoscope and her pulse.

"Oooh…" she winced.

"It's alright, Alice," said Amy. "Mom does this all the time."

"You're doing well, Alice," soothed Annabelle. "You're a very brave girl."

When the safety checks were done, Henry built up a good head of steam.

"Steady as you go, ol' boy," called the driver. "We don't have a siren or a blue flashing light."

"Not too fast now," said the fireman.

"Of course," said Henry. "Don't worry, Alice. You'll get there in one piece." With a blow of his whistle, once he was given the all clear, Henry slowly and carefully set off for Wellsworth.

Along the way, Henry saw Butch trying to rescue the ambulance van.

"Ugh…" groaned the tow-truck. "This may take a while…" Shep the sheepdog was also digging where the wheels got stuck.

"I don't think that'll help us too much," chuckled Butch's driver as he ushered the dog back. "You're going to need a bath once we get back to the rescue center, Shep."

Butch revved his engine once again, and this time, mud went flying… all over Randolph when the train passed.

"Augh!" he cried as he got covered. "Butch!"

"Oops," said Butch. "Sorry about that!" However, the tow truck bit his lip to prevent a chuckle from escaping.

Eventually, Henry managed to reach Wellsworth. Edward was waiting there.

"Hello, Henry," he said. "What was the holdup? A flood on the line?"

"It's Alice," said Henry, and he explained what had happened back at Crosby. Edward watched as she was carefully led out of the train.

"Goodness me," gasped Edward. "Lucky that you and Amy were nearby."

"I'll say it was," smiled Alice. "Thank you, Henry, and thank you, Amy."

"My pleasure, Alice," said Henry.

"Hey!" called Amy. "Look at this!" Everyone looked over to what Amy was pointing at.

"What's happened to you, Randolph?" asked Alice.

"Butch splashed me with mud as we passed by," grunted the brake coach. "Go figure."

"Oh dear," said Amy, trying desperately not to giggle. "With the mud on your face, it looks almost like you've got chicken pox!"

Henry, Alice, Edward and Randolph's brothers all burst out laughing, while Randolph himself rolled his eyes. "Oh, how droll…"

"Never mind, Randolph," assured Harry. "At least the rain will wash it off!"

It wasn't long before Alice had been brought to the hospital, with Amy and their respective parents joining her.

"You'll be jumping around again when your leg is healed up," smiled Nancy.

"Maybe you can use this time to draw another picture of yours," said Paul.

"Oh, yes!" grinned Alice. "I'll do one of Henry, to really thank him for his help."

"One of my first pictures was of Henry too," said Annabelle. "It was to cheer him up after he was released from the tunnel."

"Really?" asked Alice. "That's amazing, mom."

"I wish I was there to see your mom tell off Albert Regaby," chuckled Paul. Just then, the doctor came back over the results of Alice's x-ray.

"Well, you haven't broken any bones," he said cheerfully. "Just sprained your ankle. Your foot just needs to be in a cast for a few days."

"A cast?" asked Alice. "You mean I have to cast my leg out on a fishing line? I'm not sure how that helps."

"No, Alice," laughed Nancy. She pointed to what appeared to be a boot on the floor.

"Oh, it's that kind of cast," said Alice, immediately understanding. Her ankle was firmly strapped up, and she was put in a wheelchair.

"That might be a problem next time I board one of the trains," she said to her mother.

"I'm sure some of the porters can help us, Alice," said Annabelle. "Don't worry, dear. We'll get you safely home one way or another."

"Thanks again, Nancy; you too, Amy," said Paul. "And thanks for being here, Meghan."

"Anytime," the family replied, and the Percivals departed from the hospital.

A whole week had gone by, and Alice's leg had fully healed. The next time she saw Henry, she had a drawing of him ready to present.

"Henry, there you are!" she called eagerly.

"Alice!" cried Henry. "You're walking again."

"Yes," she giggled. "I lost my wheels though. It's a bit of a shame as I liked pretending I was an engine."

Henry chuckled. "Say, what's that picture you've got there?"

Alice proudly held it up. "It's you, Henry!" she smiled. "I wanted to thank you for getting me to the hospital."

"That's so sweet, Alice," said Henry. "Thank you."

"You did a great job indeed, Henry," said Sir Topham Hatt. "Thank you for helping to rescue my grand-niece last week. You are a really useful engine, and ambulance."

Henry blushed at all the compliments. "Amy and Nancy helped too…" he said quietly.

"It is crazy to think about," said Alice. "Edward brought grandmother Barbara to the hospital when she gave birth to my mom, and now you take me to the hospital after I hurt my ankle. And my mom's father is named Henry too."

As the group laughed, it was nearly time for Henry to leave.

"Could I ride on your train, Henry?" asked Alice. "Amy and I are going to meet some of our friends in the park."

"Of course," said Henry.

"Be careful, dears," called Annabelle.

"Don't worry," said Meghan. "I'll keep an eye on them."

As Meghan and the children boarded the train, Henry headed off with a blast of his whistle. The big green engine always felt happy when he saw Alice and Amy playing with their friends, and remembered to whistle to them. Ambulance engines are rare occurrences, though whenever they did happen, Henry was always reminded of how he helped Alice, the same way Edward helped Barbara and Annabelle all those years ago.

THE END

Author's Comments

It's only recently that I realized I've yet to actually do a rewrite from Series 19, so here's the first one of such, adapting Henry Spots Trouble and the mini book Henry Goes to the Hospital. A lot of people really don't like said episode, and I can't say I blame them; if anything, it shows just how difficult it is to write for Henry, which would explain why he didn't get any leading roles after Series 20. There's more elements coming from the mini book than the episode, so really, it's more a book adaptation that includes elements from an episode; i.e., Butch trying to tow something from the mud and accidentally splashing someone with it.

More stories to come!